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12 Years a Slave
2013
In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.
Christopher Berry
Cast · Known for The Hunt, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Christopher Shane Berry is an American character actor best known for his roles in 12 Years a Slave (2013), The Walking Dead (2015) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
Joe Walker
Editor · Known for Arrival, Blackhat, Blade Runner 2049
Joe Walker is a British film editor who has worked in both England and Los Angeles. In 2022, he won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on Dune, having been nominated twice before for 12 Years a Slave and Arrival. For the American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film—Dramatic, he has received a string of six nominations, and in 2016 he won for Arrival. He has received five nominations for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Editing. He took the European Film Award for Best Editor for Shame in 2012 and the Satellite Award for Best Editing for Sicario in 2016. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Walker (film editor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Deneen Tyler
Deneen Tyler is a native of New Orleans with over twenty years of film, television and voice over experience. Like many critically acclaimed actresses, Deneen began her acting career in theatre. Armed with an opportunity given by a friend, her first public performance was at the Black Theater Festival. From there she was cast as Rose in a local production of August Wilson's Fences, at LePetit Theatre in New Orleans, La. Thanks to the Louisiana Tax Incentive, Hollywood literally came to the South. Not long thereafter, Deneen was cast in The Skeleton Key, Big Momma's House 2 and Hurricane Season, as well as television series Friday Night Lights and Treme, just to name a few. Her most prominent roles to date include two Oscar nominated films, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Dallas Buyer's Club; and the Oscar winning film, 12 Years a Slave, in which she played the role of Phebe. Deneen is married with one daughter, Devyn, who played the adult Margaret Northup in 12 Years a Slave. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Deneen Tyler
Ashley Dyke
Cast · Known for Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War, A Quiet Place Part II
Actress Ashley Dyke is best known for her roles as Anna in Steve McQueen's Academy Award winning film "12 Years A Slave", and as Stacey in John Krasinski's "The Hollars". Ashley was raised in Fairfax, Virginia. She is the daughter of two lawyers, Ellen Dyke and the Honorable James W. Dyke, Jr., the first African-American Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia and immediate past Chairman of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. Her mother is Jewish of Hungarian and Polish decent and was born and raised in New York City. Her father is an African-American Christian and was raised in Maryland and Virginia. They met at Howard University School of Law from which they received their law degrees. Ashley is the third of four children She went to Fairfax High School where she was highly involved in student government and was an All American Athlete. She went on to get her degree in theater from the prestigious University of Virginia, and also studied at the celebrated New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where she acquired her first taste of television as a series regular on a campus produced show called "Stratagem." She also performed in several productions while in college including a lead role in "The Vagina Monologues". Ashley moved to Los Angeles to further her career in film and television and hasn't looked back since. She continues to work in theater landing lead roles at theaters including, Second City, Acme Theater, and La Mirada Theater For the Performing Arts. Building a solid career in Hollywood in both comedy and drama. Ashley most recently guest starred on Robin Williams show on CBS "The Crazy Ones", the series finale of Stephen Merchant's HBO show "Hello Ladies", CBS's season finale of "CSI: NY," NBC's "The Cape", and the CW's "90210." Ashley has successfully portrayed a wide range of characters, a young tormented slave in "12 Years A Slave", the wildly outrageous Gigi in "Bud'z House", a young girl struggling in a half-way house in the thriller "New Hope Manor"; on stage, as a young woman surviving a concentration camp in "I Never Saw Another Butterfly.", and as a young black woman living in the segregated 1940"s Ohio, in the theater production of Toni Morrison's, "The Bluest Eye".
Celeste Parr
Writer · Known for Hudson & Rex
Celeste Parr is a WGA and WGC film and television writer and producer. Celeste is currently a writer and showrunner for Season Three of CBC’s anthology series Plan B. She is also the creator and executive producer of the legal drama Prejudice, starring Emily VanCamp and produced by Neshama Entertainment for Bell Media and Fox Entertainment. Her second feature film, Ethel, is set for production in 2025 starring Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Sarah Paulson (12 Years a Slave), and Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), produced by Sphere Films.
Lupita Nyong'o
Cast · Known for Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Lupita Amondi Nyong'o (born 1 March 1983) is a Kenyan-Mexican actress and author. She began her career in Hollywood as a production assistant. In 2008, she made her acting debut with the short film East River and subsequently returned to Kenya to star in the television series Shuga (2009–2012). In 2009, she wrote, produced and directed the documentary In My Genes. She then pursued a master's degree in acting from the Yale School of Drama. She had her first feature film role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which she received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She became the first Kenyan and Mexican actress to win an Academy Award. She made her Broadway debut as a teenage orphan in the play Eclipsed (2015), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She went on to perform a motion capture role as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019) and a lead voice role as Raksha in The Jungle Book (2016). Her career progressed with her role as Nakia in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Panther (2018) and her starring role in Jordan Peele's critically acclaimed horror film Us (2019). In addition to acting, she supports historic preservation. She is vocal about preventing sexual harassment and working for women's and animal rights. In 2014, she was named the most beautiful woman by People. She has also written a children's book named Sulwe (2019), which became a number-one New York Times Best-Seller. Also in 2019, she narrated the Discovery Channel docu-series Serengeti, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Narrator. She was named among Africa's "50 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes in 2020. Description above is from the Wikipedia article Lupita Nyong'o, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Bill Camp
Cast · Known for Nocturne, Joker, Matchbox the Movie
Bill Camp (born 1963 or 1964) is an American actor. He has played supporting roles in many films such as Lincoln (2012), Compliance (2012), Lawless (2012), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Love & Mercy (2015), Loving (2016), Molly's Game (2017), Vice (2018), Wildlife (2018), Joker (2019), News of the World (2021), and Sound of Freedom (2023); the HBO miniseries The Night Of in 2016 and The Outsider in 2020; and the Netflix miniseries The Queen's Gambit in 2020. He had recurring roles in the HBO drama series The Leftovers from 2015 to 2017 and in the Hulu space drama series The First in 2018. Camp has appeared in many television series and received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his roles in the miniseries The Night Of (2016) and the legal thriller series Presumed Innocent (2024). He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the 2016 Broadway revival of the play The Crucible. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bill Camp, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Storm Reid
Cast · Known for The Nun II, Euphoria, The Suicide Squad
Storm Reid (born July 1, 2003) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the period drama film 12 Years a Slave (2013), and received further recognition for role as Meg Murry in the fantasy film A Wrinkle in Time (2018) and as Sydney Lanier in the horror film The Invisible Man (2020).
Bianca Stigter
Producer · Known for 12 Years a Slave
Bianca Stigter (born 1964; Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch documentary director, film producer, journalist and historian. She studied history and the author of several books and writes for NRC Handelsblad. Stigter produced the film 12 Years a Slave by her partner, filmmaker Steve McQueen. As a film critic, in 2006 she was one of the three members of the jury of the Tiger Awards Competition for Short Films. Three Minutes: A Lengthening is her first film.
Taran Killam
Cast · Known for High Potential, 12 Years a Slave, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Taran Killam (born on April 1, 1982) is an American actor. He is known for his television work on The Amanda Show and Saturday Night Live, as well as his roles in the films Stuck in the Suburbs, 12 Years a Slave, and The Heat. He voices the title character on the PBS children's cartoon series Nature Cat. Killam performed the role of King George III in the Broadway production of Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, from January through April 2017. He has been married to Cobie Smulders since September 8, 2012, and they have two children.
Paul Dano
Cast · Known for There Will Be Blood, 12 Years a Slave, The Batman
Paul Franklin Dano (born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in The Newcomers (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in L.I.E. (2001) and received accolades for his role as Dwayne Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). For his dual roles as Paul and Eli Sunday in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood (2007), he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. Dano has also received accolades for roles such as John Tibeats in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Alex Jones in Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners (2013). His acting portrayal of musician Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy (2014) earned him a Golden Globe nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actor. Dano made his directorial debut with the drama film Wildlife (2018), based on the novel by Richard Ford. He co-wrote the screenplay with his partner Zoe Kazan. In 2018, he starred in the Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2022, he played Edward Nashton / The Riddler in The Batman.
Arnon Milchan
Producer · Executive Producer · Known for Barbarian, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), City of Angels
Arnon Milchan (Hebrew: ארנון מילצ'ן; December 6, 1944) is an Israeli billionaire businessman, film producer, and former spy. He has been involved in over 130 full-length motion pictures and is the founder of the production company Regency Enterprises. Regency's film credits include 12 Years a Slave, JFK, Heat, Fight Club, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Milchan has earned two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture, for L.A. Confidential and The Revenant; he also produced Best Picture nominees The Big Short, 12 Years a Slave, and Birdman, with the latter two winning the award in consecutive years. Milchan was also an Israeli intelligence operative from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. As of January 2024, Forbes estimated Milchan's net worth at US$3.3 billion, ranked 937th worldwide and 13th wealthiest in Israel. Description above from the Wikipedia article Arnon Milchan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Tessa Ross
Executive Producer · Producer · Known for 12 Years a Slave, Conclave, Ex Machina
Tessa Sarah Ross CBE (born 1961) is an English film producer and executive. She received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. She was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour in 2013. She is an honorary fellow of the National Film and Television School. In the 2010 New Year Honours, she was appointed a CBE for services to broadcasting. Ross was designated Head of Film at Channel 4 in 2000 and ran Film4 and Film4 Productions from 2002 to 2014. In 2011, she was appointed to the Board of the Royal National Theatre and became Chief Executive in 2014. She resigned in April 2015, citing concerns over the new leadership structure, but continued working with the National Theatre as a consultant. Ross has been the executive producer of a number of notable British films, including Billy Elliot (2000), The Last King of Scotland (2006), This Is England (2006), Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Hunger (2008), Four Lions (2010), 127 Hours (2010), Shame (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Under the Skin (2013), Ex Machina (2015), 45 Years (2015), Room (2015), and Carol (2015). For her work producing Conclave (2024), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture & won the BAFTA Award for Best Film. Description above from the Wikipedia article Tessa Ross, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Quvenzhané Wallis
Cast · Known for Trolls, 12 Years a Slave
Quvenzhané Wallis (/kwəˈvɛnʒəneɪ/ kwə-VEN-zhə-nay; born August 28, 2003) is an American actress and author. In 2012, she starred as Hushpuppy in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the youngest actress to be nominated in the category, as well as the first actor born in the 21st century nominated for an Oscar. She went on to appear in the Steve McQueen film 12 Years a Slave (2013). Wallis starred as Annie Bennett in the 2014 adaptation of Annie, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Wallis is also known for voicing the character Harper in the animated film Trolls (2016); as well as her role as Kyra in the television sitcom Black-ish (2019). As an author, she has published four children's books, Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg!, A Night Out with Mama, Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! and Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue!
Thomas Francis Murphy
Thomas Francis Murphy was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1953. Early on in his adult life he made his living in dairy barns and on factory floors. He has trained as a hard hat diver, an ambulance driver, worked as a social worker, and freelance theatre critic. In his thirties, while living in Little Rock, AR, Murphy decided to take an acting class. The class changed his direction in life and acting suddenly filled the void. He spent over 20 years on the East Coast with a paintbrush in one hand and a script in the other while pursuing a career in the theatre. He trained with Shakespeare& Co of Lenox, MA and spent years performing in off off Broadway houses in New York where his work in the plays of Sam Shepard garnered high praise in the New York Times and several other publications. Murphy moved to New Orleans in 2013 and has worked across from many of Hollywood's A-list actors including Woody Harrelson in True Detective, Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave, and Keanu Reeves in The Whole Truth. Murphy also had principle roles in the soon to be released, Free State Of Jones, with Mathew McConaughey and Same Kind of Different As Me, with Greg Kinnear and Renee Zellweger, and as a somewhat series regular on Salem. He has appeared on American Horror, and a host of other projects.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Cast · Known for Doctor Strange, 2012, American Gangster
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor CBE (/ˈtʃuːətɛlˈɛdʒioʊfɔːr/ CHOO-ə-tel EJ-ee-oh-for; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2008, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and in 2015, he was appointed Commander (CBE) for his services to the arts. After enrolling at the National Youth Theatre in 1995 and attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, at age 19 and three months into his course, Ejiofor was cast by Steven Spielberg to play a supporting role in the film Amistad (1997) as James Covey. He later won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for Othello (2008). Ejiofor earned the BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013). Ejiofor's other films include Dirty Pretty Things (2002), Love Actually (2003), Kinky Boots (2005), Four Brothers (2005), Children of Men (2006), Endgame (2009), 2012 (2009), Salt (2010), and The Martian (2015). He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). He also voiced Scar in The Lion King (2019). He directed, wrote, and starred in the film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019). On television, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his performance as a jazz band leader in the BBC Two miniseries Dancing on the Edge (2014). He also acted in the BBC drama series The Shadow Line (2011), the HBO television film Phil Spector (2013), and the Showtime science fiction series The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022). Description above from the Wikipedia article Chiwetel Ejiofor, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Cast · Known for Sherlock, The Grinch, The Imitation Game
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born July 19, 1976) is an English actor. Known for his roles on the screen and stage, he has received various accolades throughout his career, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a British Academy Television Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award. Cumberbatch won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for Frankenstein and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Sherlock. His performances in the dramas The Imitation Game (2014) and The Power of the Dog (2021) earned him nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award, all for Best Actor in a Leading Role. For playing the title role in five-part drama miniseries Patrick Melrose, he won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In 2014 Time magazine included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2015 he was appointed a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2015 Birthday Honours for services to the performing arts and to charity. A graduate of the Victoria University of Manchester, Cumberbatch continued his training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, obtaining a Master of Arts in Classical Acting. He first performed at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in Shakespearean productions and made his West End debut in Richard Eyre's revival of Hedda Gabler in 2005. Since then, he has starred in the Royal National Theatre productions After the Dance (2010) and Frankenstein (2011). In 2015, he played the title role in Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre. Cumberbatch's television work includes his performance as Stephen Hawking in the television film Hawking in 2004. He gained worldwide recognition for his performance as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock from 2010 to 2017. He has also headlined Tom Stoppard's adaptation of Parade's End (2012), The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016), Patrick Melrose (2018), and Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019). In films, Cumberbatch has starred in Amazing Grace (2006) as William Pitt the Younger, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) as Khan, 12 Years a Slave (2013) as William Prince Ford, The Fifth Estate (2013) as Julian Assange, and The Imitation Game (2014) as Alan Turing. He also acted in the historical dramas The Current War (2017), 1917 (2019) and The Courier (2020), and received critical acclaim for his performance in Jane Campion's Western drama The Power of the Dog (2021). From 2012 to 2014, through voice and motion capture, he played the characters of Smaug and Sauron in The Hobbit film series. Cumberbatch portrays Dr. Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with Doctor Strange (2016), and also voiced the character in the animated series What If...? (2021).
Sarah Paulson
Cast · Known for American Horror Story, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Ocean's Eight
Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She began her acting career in New York City stage productions before starring in the short-lived television series American Gothic (1995–1996) and Jack & Jill (1999–2001). She later appeared in comedy films such as What Women Want (2000) and Down with Love (2003), and drama films such as Path to War (2002) and The Notorious Bettie Page (2005). From 2006 to 2007, she starred as Harriet Hayes in the NBC comedy-drama series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, for which she received her first Golden Globe Award nomination. In 2008, she starred as Ellen Dolan in the superhero noir film The Spirit. Paulson has appeared on Broadway in the plays The Glass Menagerie in 2005 and Collected Stories in 2010. She also starred in a number of independent films and had a leading role in the ABC comedy series Cupid (2009). She later starred in the independent drama film Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) and received Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for her portrayal of Nicolle Wallace in the HBO film Game Change (2012). She was featured as Mary Epps in the 2013 historical drama film 12 Years a Slave, as Abby Gerhard in the 2015 romantic drama film Carol, and as Toni Bradlee in the 2017 political drama film The Post, all of which were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Her other films include Serenity (2005), New Year's Eve (2011), Mud (2012), Blue Jay (2016), Ocean's 8 (2018), Bird Box (2018), Glass (2019), and Run (2020). In 2011, Paulson began starring in the FX anthology series American Horror Story, playing different characters in many of the show's 10 seasons. For her performances in the series, she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won two Critics' Choice Television Awards. In 2016, she portrayed real-life prosecutor Marcia Clark in the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story, subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson, for which she garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including the Primetime Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award. In 2020, Paulson appeared in the FX limited series Mrs. America, and began starring as Nurse Mildred Ratched in the Netflix psychological thriller series Ratched. In 2021, she returned to American Crime Story to portray Linda Tripp in the third season of the show, subtitled Impeachment.
Paul Giamatti
Cast · Known for The Debut, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan
Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (/ˌdʒiːəˈmɑːti/JEE-ə-MAH-tee; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globes, and nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award. After studying acting at the Yale School of Drama, he performed in numerous theatrical productions. Giamatti debuted on Broadway, portraying Ezra Chater in the Tom Stoppard play Arcadia (1995). Later that year, he played the Rev. Donald "Streaky" Bacon in the David Hare play Racing Demon (1995). He returned to theatre in the revivals of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters (1997) and Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (1999). Giamatti's breakout film role was in Private Parts (1997), followed by roles in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Man on the Moon (1999). He won acclaim for his leading roles in American Splendor (2003), Sideways (2004), Win Win (2011), and Private Life (2018). He has also acted in Planet of the Apes (2001), The Illusionist (2006), Fred Claus (2007), The Ides of March (2011), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Love & Mercy (2014), and Straight Outta Compton (2015). He has earned Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for portraying Joe Gould in Cinderella Man (2005) and Best Actor for playing a disgruntled teacher in The Holdovers (2023). On television, Giamatti played the role in the HBO miniseries John Adams (2008), earning him acclaim and several awards, including a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe. He starred as U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades Jr. in the Showtime television series Billions (2016–2023). He earned Emmy nominations for his roles as Ben Bernanke in the HBO film Too Big to Fail (2011) and Harold Levinson in the ITV series Downton Abbey (2013). In the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror episode Eulogy (2025), he played a grieving lover. Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Giamatti, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history". He set three world records and tied another, all in less than an hour, at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan—a feat that has never been equaled and has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport". He achieved international fame at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals: 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the Games and, as a black American man, was credited with "single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy". The Jesse Owens Award is USA Track and Field's highest accolade for the year's best track and field athlete. Owens was ranked by ESPN as the sixth greatest North American athlete of the 20th century and the highest-ranked in his sport. In 1999, he was on the six-man short-list for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Century. Jesse Owens, originally known as J.C., was the youngest of ten children (three girls and seven boys) born to Henry Cleveland Owens (a sharecropper) and Mary Emma Fitzgerald in Oakville, Alabama, on September 12, 1913. He was the grandson of a slave. At the age of nine, he and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio for better opportunities as part of the Great Migration (1910–40) when 1.6 million African Americans left the segregated and rural South for the urban and industrial North. When his new teacher asked his name to enter in her roll book, he said "J.C.", but because of his strong Southern accent, she thought he said "Jesse". The name stuck, and he was known as Jesse Owens for the rest of his life. As a youth, Owens took different menial jobs in his spare time: he delivered groceries, loaded freight cars, and worked in a shoe repair shop while his father and older brother worked at a steel mill. During this period, Owens realized that he had a passion for running. Throughout his life, Owens attributed the success of his athletic career to the encouragement of Charles Riley, his junior high school track coach at Fairmount Junior High School. Since Owens worked after school, Riley allowed him to practice before school instead. Owens and Minnie Ruth Solomon (1915–2001) met at Fairmont Junior High School in Cleveland when he was 15 and she was 13. They dated steadily through high school. Ruth gave birth to their first daughter Gloria in 1932. They married on July 5, 1935, and had two more daughters together: Marlene, born in 1937, and Beverly, born in 1940. They remained married until his death in 1980. Owens first came to national attention when he was a student of East Technical High School in Cleveland; he equaled the world record of 9.4 seconds in the 100 yards (91 m) dash and long-jumped 24 feet 9+1⁄2 inches (7.56 m) at the 1933 National High School Championship in Chicago. ... Source: Article "Jesse Owens" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Jyoti Deshpande
Producer · Known for Dhurandhar, Dorothy
President – Jio Studios (Media & Content Business – Reliance Industries Ltd) Jyoti Deshpande is one of India’s foremost media and entertainment leaders, with over 30 years of experience across content creation, distribution, media strategy, and digital transformation. As President of the Media & Content Business at Reliance Industries Limited, she spearheads the vision and operations of Jio Studios, India’s No.1 content studio and a market leader she built from inception. Her ability to blend creative instincts with business acumen has made her a pioneer in consolidating India’s fragmented content industry, often referred to as the “Jiofication” of Indian entertainment. Under her leadership, Jio Studios has delivered unprecedented box office success, led by the blockbuster Dhurandhar duology that has grossed over ₹3000 crore ($330 million) worldwide, setting new global benchmarks, securing a place among the top 10 highest-grossing films worldwide in 2026. Jio Studios also holds the rare distinction of producing India’s highest-grossing Hindi films for three consecutive years—Stree 2 (2024), Dhurandhar (2025), and Dhurandhar The Revenge (2026), cementing its leadership in theatrical entertainment. This sustained momentum extends across a diverse and culturally resonant slate of films, including Laapataa Ladies (India’s official entry to the Oscars 2025), Stree, Article 370, Shaitaan, and Singham Again, among others. In under a decade, Jio Studios has produced over 200 films and web series in multiple Indian languages, with over 60 titles winning more than 500 awards reflecting Jyoti’s commitment to scale, inclusion, and storytelling with cultural impact. Beyond theatrical success, Jyoti has driven Jio Studios’ strong expansion into the digital ecosystem. In 2025 alone, the studio delivered a robust slate of 12 OTT releases across genres, including Mrs., Dhoom Dhaam, Bhagwat, Saali Mohabbat and Baramulla, reinforcing its platform-agnostic content strategy. The acquisition of a majority stake in Oscar-winning Sikhya Entertainment further strengthens Jio Studios’ global ambitions and its ‘Make in India, Show the World’ vision. Beyond creative vision, Jyoti brings unique perspectives on navigating media convergence, strategic investments, and digital disruption in emerging markets. As former CEO of Viacom18, she remains the only woman to have led a ‘Big 4’ Indian media company. Her extensive leadership experience spans board roles at Network18, Balaji Telefilms, JioSaavn, and Sikhya Entertainment. A respected industry voice, Jyoti has also played a pivotal role in policy and advocacy as Chairperson of FICCI Media & Entertainment Committee. A BAFTA member, she consistently features among Fortune India and Business Today’s Most Powerful Women in Business. With her multi-functional experience from nurturing content to global platform partnerships, Jyoti brings a rich, hands-on industry perspective to conversations on leadership, storytelling, media & entertainment value chain, gender and diversity, and the future of media.
Michael Jai White
Cast · Known for Drive Through Fire, Why Did I Get Married Again?
Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor and professional martial artist, who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African-American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved as a teen to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he graduated from Central High School in 1988. White started martial arts training at the age of seven and is now an accomplished martial artist, holding seven legitimate black belts in Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, Kobudo, Goju Ryu, Tang Soo Do, Wushu and Kyokushin, with a specific focus in Kyokushin (although his style incorporates aspects of many different martial arts forms). His first major starring role and breakout performance was in the 1995 HBO film Tyson, as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. In 1997, he portrayed the eponymous character in the 1997 movie Spawn. His work in Spawn earned him a nomination for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Male Newcomer. White starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier: The Return. In 2001, he also starred opposite fellow martial artist Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds. In 2003, he starred in Busta Rhymes' and Mariah Carey's music video "I Know What You Want". Since 2003, in addition to his on screen roles, White has been doing voice work, including Static Shock, Justice League, and the Spawn animated series. White showcases his martial arts skills in the direct-to-DVD film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing. He also appears in Michelle Yeoh's Silver Hawk in 2004. His film, Why Did I Get Married? opened at number one at the box office on October 12, 2007. White played the role of the mob boss Gambol in the 2008 film The Dark Knight. He also starred in the film Blood and Bone and the Blaxploitation homage Black Dynamite, both released in 2009. White wrote the scripts for both Black Dynamite and his upcoming 3 Bullets in which he stars with Bokeem Woodbine. White will make his directorial debut and star in Never Back Down 2, which is slated for a 2011 release. In August 2005 he wed his girlfriend of two years, Courtenay Chatman. The couple have a daughter named Morgan Michelle who was born on December 24, 2008. Michael has two sons from a previous relationship. He is an avid chess player, as seen in his movie Blood and Bone.
Abot-Kamay Na Pangarap
2022
Analyn is a genius who was born poor and raised by her illiterate and sickly mother. She graduates from high school at the age of 12 and dreams of becoming a doctor in order to help the less privileged. She graduates from med school at 19 years old and becomes the youngest surgical resident in a large hospital. Despite her achievements, she has to deal with bullying and competition from her fellow doctors, who are threatened by her age and intelligence. She soon finds herself in an emotional crisis which forces her to leave her profession indefinitely. She returns to the hospital when she learns that she is the only doctor skilled enough to save her father from a rare brain disease.